Lexus RC review

As with the exterior, there’s been lots of change on the inside too, but these are tweaks rather than re-inventions. Some really rather excellent sports seats - they look great and are extremely comfy - a new analogue clock, different finishes … it’s all pretty minor. It’s clean and clear, though, and wraps around nicely, and all cars gets a standard 10.3-inch multimedia display. Leather is neat and stitched to perfection, the quality is top-notch and there’s a general feeling of solidity. Everything operates as it should and there’s a fair level of kit including a good standard stereo (Pioneer, 10-speakers, 160W), or an optional Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound system (17-speakers, 835W). It doesn’t feel particularly cutting edge, but it all works, falls easily to hand and you don’t need a PowerPoint presentation to work out how to use it. In a world full of what feels like pointless or gimmicky over-complication, this is somewhat of a relief.

There’s also a full suite of safety gear, including eight airbags, Lexus Safety System plus, pre-collision safety, adaptive cruise, lane departure alert/ lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and a list of other stuff that’s a bit long to fully go into here. Rest assured it’s well equipped and tidy, and there are plenty of buttons to push. And although there’s not a surfeit of room in the rear two seats, you can drop then 60:40 style, with the front seats tottering about on electric motors.